Daily Intent

Santa Barbara, CA
It’s cold.  It’s wet.  It’s dark.  I’m tired.  I’m sore.  I’m not feeling well.

It’s November.  Gone are the days of consistent community activities to get you out off your front step and out into the streets, out along the water: running, jumping, lifting, pulling, kicking, swinging, diving, lunging, twisting, and spinning.  Gone are the many triathlons, half marathons, and marathons.  Until next spring.

Fewer motivators.  More festivities because of the holidays.  It is difficult.  It takes more planning and creativity.  It may require even a gym membership.

However, we all know deep down in our muscles, it is the right thing to do for overall mental and physical health, in the short-run and the long-run.  We all know that we are more productive at work because of increased heart rate activities.  We all know how great the endorphin high feels after breaking through the first 10 minutes of a workout.

We each have a choice.  We can wait for two months from now, January 1st, and create a New Year’s Resolution.  The same challenges will be there then as they are now, dark, cold, wet, tired, sick, and limited community activities…

Or

We can resolve to get moving today.  We can be the one in our office that is more productive, alert, inspired, excited, and ready to work, while the rest become more lethargic, grumpy, less motivated, and longing for the weekends.

The next two months is when we can become champions in our health and our careers.

If you still aren’t convinced, plan a trip to go see the “Bodies Exhibit” in the town closes to you or visit their website http://www.bodiestheexhibition.com.  The facts you will learn, the healthy bodies you will see incomparison to poorly cared for beings, and the intricacies and complexities of you as a human might just have a strong enough impact on your actions that you get out of the house and workout for the next two months.  Because all I am asking of you is to be consistent for the next two months.  Then you can take a break come January while all others struggle to work off the Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, and Christmas dinners.

Then again, you may be in such an energizing routine with new friends from a kick boxing, hip hop, or spin class, that you choose to continue onward until the spring month’s, when all join forces in community health.

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CONGRATULATIONS
To all that completed the Santa Barbara Half Marathon last weekend!
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PLAN
Inspire Santa Barbara.   “Self Management.  Making Relationships Work”.  Yoga Soup.  November 19th. 8-10pm.  Manage yourself rather than attempting to manage others.
Catalyst for Thought.  Minds w/ Ken Saxon.  November 19th at 12pm.  University Club. Learn from a man that has an MBA from Stanford, built up a business and sold it for millions, and now gets to enjoy the life of helping others do the same via for-profit and non-profit ventures.  Humility and greatness can go hand and hand.
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LEARN
Buzzword: Neurobics
“A concrete strategy for keeping the brain fit and flexible as you grow older…[creates] new and different patterns of neuron activity in your brain.  The exercise program calls for presenting the brain with non-routine or unexpected experiences using various combinations of your physical senses-vision, smell touch, taste, and hearing-as well as your emotional ’sense.’”  -Keep Your Brain Alive by Lawrence C. Katz, Ph.D. and Manning Rubin.

  Six Points to Ponder:

   1. Seesawing Market.  The Dow is up over 450 points since last Wednesday.  - The Dow is trading  at 10,234, S&P 500 at 1093 and the Nasdaq stands at 2156.  Oil is level at $80/bbl.
   2. Homebuyer Tax Credit Extended/Expanded.  The first time homebuyer tax credit was extended from November 30, 2009 to April 30, 2010, while existing homeowners can now get in on the action.
   3. Internet Flying Free-dom.  You may be paying extra for baggage, but send a thank you card to Google for footing the WiFi bill at 47 of the US’s largest airports.   Other companies have been covering the bill for in-flight internet service.  Lexus promoted one of their new cars via free in-flight internet.
   4. Mobile Ads Acquisition.  Many entrepreneurs dream of their company growing to a point that Google buys them out.  AdMob, this week, saw these dreams come true in the form of $750 million, an all-stock deal. 
   5. Sesame Street Turns 40.  40 years of teaching us all how to count to 10!
   6. Bronx Bombers 27th Title.   Red Sox fans were silenced.   College Catch-up.  Pac-10 football has no idea which was is up.  No team is willing to claim number one status as Oregon fell Saturday.  Men’s college basketball kicked off last night.  UCSB Men’s Soccer Playoffs start tomorrow night.

Positives:

    * The market responded very positively to the governments actions of tax credit extensions last week.  The housing market still needs extra support and their recognition of this reality, gives the markets some consistency of which to plan.
    * “The new legislation extends the existing $8,000 first-time homebuyer credit beyond its scheduled Nov. 30 expiration date and into the spring.  A $6,500 credit also will be offered to existing homeowners who sell their current property and purchase a primary residence that costs $800,000 or less.  To be eligible for the tax break, homebuyers would have to be under contract by April 30, 2010 with closings wrapped up no later than 60 days after that.  Income limits for the credit would increase to $125,000 for individuals and $225,000 for couples.  Homebuyers who qualify must stay in their new homes for at least three years or they will have to repay the credit.” - Bankrate.com
    * I’m torn.  Having internet access on the plane will be a huge efficiency gain, however I kind of like not being able to connect with the outside world for a few.  It is refreshing to be forced to read a book, write, rest, listen to music and/or get to know the person next to you.
    * If Google does it right, mobile ads won’t be a big deal.  However, if they are done poorly, what do you switch phones instead of t.v. channels to get around the advertisement?  I have faith.  They’ve been good to us so far.
    * Sesame Street, felt like prison to me growing up, however I can appreciate the many positives it has had on our culture.  Learning to count to 10 in Spanish.  Que Bueno!
    * I repeat, the Red Sox fans are silenced.
    * The Pac-10 Champion will be determined on the last weekend of the year.  I love the anticipation.

Negatives:

    * Mariner and Dodgers fans were silenced.
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GET INVOLVED
Local:

Catalyst for Thought - Sync Series w/ Susan Urquhart-Brown
Where: Canary Hotel.
When: Tonight. November 10th.  6pm - 8pm.
Cost: $10 online.  $15 at the door.  Order tickets at www.CatalystSB.org
Why:   Gain more in-depth business knowledge.  Gather with your peers.  Share in community.  Inspire each other to continue following your entrepreneurial dreams.  All proceeds will go to “Global Partners for Development”.
For other fun ideas, go to www.lovemikana.com

Live and Be Well,

Jeff Bochsler